COVID on the rise in the UK

In the last few days we have seen a worrying trend with the number of COVID cases across the UK starting to rise, and we wanted to share this data with you at the same time that we share it with the government. 

When we launched the app at the end of March, the UK was in the eye of the pandemic. Our data estimated over 2 million COVID cases at the start of April. However, because of lockdown these cases fell dramatically to levels of around 1,000 - 2,000 per day where they remained stable as we emerged from full lockdown in mid June.

We are now seeing a significant increase in cases in the UK with over 3,000 daily new symptomatic cases, and an estimated R value of 1.2. We are now confident that this rise is statistically significant and that we are definitely experiencing a rise in COVID cases in the UK right now. 

This uptick in numbers is concerning and if we don't get the R value down in the coming weeks, we could be looking at another national lockdown. Before taking that step, we need local and regional restrictions to slow the spread and get the numbers back down. The app’s data highlights that cases are rising disproportionately in the North of England, Scotland and Wales compared to the South, so we should be focusing on those areas. 

It’s also essential that everyone is aware of the full range of COVID symptoms. Our research shows there are 20 different symptoms of COVID, including severe fatigue, skin rashes and loss of appetite which are common in children. If we are aware of all the symptoms we will all be better at spotting cases earlier, and in the absence of testing, we recommend that if you are worried about having COVID you should stay at home until they feel better.

The app's ability to identify this rise is solely down to you, our dedicated and trusted users — without you none of this would be possible. We want to take this opportunity to say thank you for logging with us. If you haven’t logged for a while, then please do open up the app and just let us know whether you are well or not. Your contribution really can make an enormous difference now that cases are rising. 

The trend we are seeing is a reminder that COVID is still with us and your data is as important as ever to continue to help us fight this virus and avoid another full lockdown.

The app is available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.